Baby milk salmonella fears spark ‘12M box recall’

A recall of baby milk products, due to fears of contamination with salmonella, ordered by French manufacturer Lactalis, reportedly includes 12M boxes and spans 83 countries.

The recall, which does not include products sold in the UK, followed the discovery of salmonella at one of the firm’s factories in France last month.

Since then, 35 children have fallen ill in France after consuming the baby formula and one case is understood to have been confirmed in Spain.

One of the world’s largest dairy manufacturers, the business said in a statement on Thursday (January 11): “The Lactalis Group deeply regrets what happened, and renews its apologises to parents of sick children and to all those who may have been affected by these product recalls and the ensuing concerns.”​

‘Non-compliant products were put on the market’​

Despite regular product analysis – both internal and external – of all output and adherence to the regulations, it acknowledged “non-compliant products were put on the market”.​

Investigations were continuing to uncover the source of the contamination.

President of the family-owned group, Emmanuel Besnier, told French weekly publication Le Journal Du Dimanche ​​the company would compensate any family affected by the outbreak.

Compensate any family affected​

Besnier said the company was co-operating fully with the authorities and had made no attempt to hide the outbreak at the plant.

Meanwhile, salmonella can cause diarrhoea, stomach pains, vomiting and dehydration. Symptoms usually last for four to seven days and most people recover without treatment, according to NHS Choices​. But the illness can prove life-threatening for vulnerable groups, including young children.